Collar stay



COLLAR STAY Filed March 5, 1953 A f F g 3 James 7'. Schmidt INVENTOR. 30

r 2,712,651 Patented July 12, 1955 CGLLAR STAY James T. Schmidt, Kankakee, Ill.

Application March 5, 1953, Serial No. 340,537

1 Claim. (Cl. 2-132) This invention relates to an improvement in collar stays and more particularly to a supporter for a collar which will maintain the same in a fresh condition and prevent its sagging or curling during such time as it is worn.

An object of this invention is to provide a collar stay which consists essentially of a base portion which is secured to the inner surface of a collar adjacent the upper edge thereof and an arm portion engaging the collar point, the two portions being inter-connected by a resilient means normally urging the two apart so that the collar will be maintained in the desired condition.

Another object of this invention is to provide a collar stay which is provided with a base portion engaged along the inner surface of an upper edge of a collar which will be bodily moved when the collar is disposed in overlying relation to the neck band to deform an intermediate portion of the stay and maintain the collar in desired condition.

Another object of this invention is to provide a collar stay of economical design which is constructed from a single piece of resilient wire requiring only a minimum of bending operations along its length.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a front elevation of a portion of a persons body showing a portion of a shirt having its collar provided with the improved stay;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a pair of stays;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken substantially along the plane of section line 3-3 of Figure 1 and showing the stay in position on a collar.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral 10 indicates generally a shirt which includes the usual neck band 12 and the usual collar designated generally by the reference character 14. The neck band and collar are interconnected along the upper edge of the collar along a fold line 16 and the collar is normally disposed in overlying relation to the neck band as shown in the left of Figure 1. As is also conventional, the collar includes the enlarged depending wings or points 18.

It is Well known that in shirts of the type described,

the collars, particularly the points thereof, will curl or sag during use so that they present an unsightly and generally undesirable appearance, in order to overcome this objectionable feature, the novel collar stay herein described is utilized to maintain the collar in fresh appearing condition throughout the time in which the shirt and collar are worn.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 2, the collar stay comprises a unitary piece or length of resilient material which may preferably take the form of piano wire or the like and which includes a base portion 20 terminating at its free end in a sharp point 22 adjacent which is the substantially U-shaped laterally deformed stop 24 which cooperates with the sharp point to provide an anchor means on the end of the base portion wherein the stay may be attached to the inner surface of a collar adjacent its upper edge, as shown in Figure 1. The resilient material also includes an arm portion 26 which terminates at its free end in a sharp point 28 similar to the point 22 adjacent which is a circular convolution 30 and these latter parts cooperate in presenting an anchor means for the arm to be engaged with the tip of a collar point 18. The base portion and the arm are inter-connected by a plurality of angularly disposed portions or sections which consist of a first flight 32, a second flight 34 and a third flight 36. The base, arm and the intermediate flights are disposed in coplanar relation and it will be seen that when in the position prior to application on a collar, the base portion 20 is substantially perpendicular to the arm 26 and that the first flight 32 extends substantially perpendicularly from the base in parallel relation to the arm. The second flight 34 presents a substantially reversely extending continuation of the first flight and the third flight 36 extends generally perpendicularly as a continuation of the second to join the inner end of the arm 26.

In use the collar point is disposed upwardly substantially in the position shown in the right of Figure 1 and the opposite anchor points 22 and 28 are engaged respectively adjacent the upper edge of the collar and adjacent the lower tip of the point 18 on the inner surface thereof such that the base portion 20 extends angularly downwardly with respect to the fold line 16 so that this portion, when the collar is folded as shown in the left of Figure 1, will be disposed along this fold line in parallel relation to the upper edge of the collar, thus deforming the intermediate flights and apply a tension to the collar to maintain it in flat and neat appearing position. The various portions of the stay, by virtue of their angular disposition with respect to each other, extend beneath and support a substantial area of the collar, serving to provide a substantially rigid backing for same and thereby enhancing the neat appearance of the collar.

Since a collar is conventionally formed of a double fold of material, as shown in Figure 3, the points 22 and 28 will not extend therethrough, but may be made to extend only through a single fold of the material, thus eliminating any unsightly appearance which might otherwise be effected by the points extending through to the outer surface of the collar. It will be readily apparent by reference to the left hand portion of Figure 1 that the base 20 and arm 26 are disposed in a substantial angular relation when the intermediate flights have been deformed by positioning the collar in its proper relation on the shirt.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A collar stay comprising a length of rod-like material comprising a base portion, an arm portion and intermediate flights, said base portion terminating at one end in an anchor means adapted to engage the inner surface of the upper edge of a collar at a point spaced circumferentially from the vertical edge of a collar, said base portion extending therefrom upwardly so as to engage 5 I T 2,712,e51 I a e the vertical edge of a collar, one of said flights extend- References Cited in the file of this patent ing laterally from the other end of said base portion so 7 w, UNITED STATES PATENTS as to lie generally parallel to and adjacent the vertical edge of a collar, a second flight extending angularly from 1723202 Oliver 1929 the first flight and toward said anchor means, a third 5 2431053 Less 1947 flight extending laterally of the second flight in a gen- 2439O88 Herr 1948 l erally parallel direction to said base portion, said arm FOREIGN PATENTS portion extending laterally of the third flight in'a di 880854 France Jan 11, 1943 rection away from the base portion and substantially parallel to the first flight, said arm portion terminating in 10 an anchor means adapted to engage the point of a collar. 

